Exeter City manager Matt Taylor was understandably unhappy with his side’s 3-0 home defeat to Lincoln City at St James Park.

The Grecians turned in a poor performance as they were comprehensively beaten by the big-spending League Two table toppers and Taylor will be looking for a response when the Grecians head to Yeovil Town in the Checkatrade Trophy on Tuesday night.

Here is everything he had to say following Saturday’s defeat.

Matt Taylor, Manager of Exeter City looks dejected after losing during the Sky Bet League 2 match between Exeter City and Lincoln City at St James Park, Exeter, Devon on Sep 1. - PHOTO: Tom Sandberg/PPAUK

Matt, what are your thoughts on the game?

I am bitterly disappointed. Any time you get beaten 3-0 at home, it is always disappointing.

We have a group of hurt players in that changing room, they didn’t do themselves justice today and didn’t really give themselves a chance, and we just couldn’t deal with their physicality at the top end of the pitch to be honest with you.

It isn’t a worry for me, but it is something we are going to have to address. There was a weakness in the centre of our park, in terms of our backline today, but it is what it is. Akinde is certainly a handful, he really is, but it affected the rest of the group and we got caught up in a scruffy game, which is what we didn’t want.

We wanted to get the ball down and play and make the most of our possession, but we didn’t do that either. Full credit to Lincoln, they are top of the league for a reason and they really did mess us around today.

Read More

It was a pretty even game up until that first goal and then a double whammy really, just before half-time.

Yeah, to concede the second just before half-time was so disappointing especially with it being a goalkeeper’s kick.

You can see the threat right in front of your face, but no problem if you can’t deal with the first one, you have to then deal with the second and third and what happens off the back of that.

That’s the frustrating thing because we didn’t give ourselves a chance today. But as I have said in the previous interview, this group is more than good enough to get to where I want them to get to, so I am still backing the group in terms of that.

I will address it and I will look at my own performance first and foremost and then I will address the group. There might be a few tired bodies going into Tuesday, but every now and then, they are going to have to run through that and start playing in terms of selection for the following game.

We have a massive game on Tuesday now, going into Saturday, and some of them need to start playing for that shirt.

Hiram Boateng of Exeter City looks dejected after losing during the Sky Bet League 2 match between Exeter City and Lincoln City at St James Park, Exeter, Devon on Sep 1. - PHOTO: Tom Sandberg/PPAUK

Is it a worry for you that it is three games without a goal as well as without a win?

Not really. I mean, the MK Dons one, we had a player sent off after 50 minutes, so that changed the game and then you go to a Premier League team and you’d do well to score against them.

Look, the disappointing thing for me today was how we didn’t handle the first ball and then what happened off the back of that. We will create chances, we have good enough attacking players, but I have said to the group that in order for me to keep my attacking players on the pitch, we’ve got to have control in our defensive line.

Maybe I have to make sacrifices at the top end of the pitch. People will say it is a negative tactical change to make, but if you can’t control the game with your backline, then you’ve got no chance whatsoever.

But full credit to them, they messed our backline about and then it just spread throughout the team.

You mention that physicality in attack that they have with [John] Akinde and when [Matt] Rheade came on, it didn’t get any easier, do you think it was over the top sometimes?

No. No, I have no qualms in terms of the way Lincoln play, I have no problem with them whatsoever – and they will be successful off the back of it, so I have no problems with them at all.

I only concentrate on my group and we weren’t tough enough at times. And also, we weren’t good enough when we did have the ball, it’s as simple as that.

It works both ways. We didn’t have any control in the backline, but also you have to pass it, you have to move and we didn’t affect the game, our attacking players didn’t get close to the goal, or close enough to the opposition byline to get us up the pitch and away from defending our 18-yard box.

We knew what was coming and we prepared for it, we just didn’t quite deliver today.

Read More

I suppose you will come up against sides that are similar in a way with their physicality

Yeah, but they won’t be as good as Lincoln. Lincoln are a top, top team, he has invested really well in the group of players that he has got and you have seen the players he has got there and they are a good bunch.

But I am still backing my group. A 3-0 defeat at home is brutally disappointing and difficult to take, but I am still backing that group.

You gave a debut to Chiedozie Ogbene and he looked bright in spells, didn’t he?

Yeah, I just felt we needed a spark. We needed something and someone to take us up the pitch and get at their backline.

It was a difficult situation for him to come on today. It was a scrappy game. A disjointed game and he didn’t know the personnel he was playing with, let alone against, so he will be better for it.

He will get more minutes on Tuesday and some training time this week and he will impact the group.

He is a different sort of player to what you have in the group, isn’t he?

Yeah, he’s another attacking player. But as I have said to you then, if you have no control in the backline, then I have to start sacrificing attacking players.

It is not something I want to do as I have invested in attacking players and centre forwards, but we will work on it and we will be better for today.

Referee, Kevin Johnson shows a yellow card to Jayden Stockley of Exeter City during the Sky Bet League 2 match between Exeter City and Lincoln City at St James Park, Exeter, Devon on Sep 1. - PHOTO: Tom Sandberg/PPAUK

Matt, you mentioned the physicality of Lincoln there. Do you perhaps feel that we were hindered by the fact that Jayden was booked for the first 50/50 of the game?

Well, yeah but I have not seen the booking. I don’t want to talk too much about the referee, but I am not too sure how several of my players have got booked when the game was like that.

Like you touched on, it felt like the first foul we made, or the first challenge, the first tackle, we got punished and punished harshly and then, we have three or four players on a booking that can’t impose themselves physically on the game.

I have to be careful with what I say in terms of the referees to be honest with you, but first and foremost, I will look at myself and my group of players and not blame the referee.